Cincinnati Reds: Jim Riggleman will not be the manager, but could be back

Jim Riggleman will not get the permanent gig for the Cincinnati Reds, but could he still be part of the coaching staff under the new skipper?

David Bell was named the Cincinnati Reds new manager on Sunday morning, ending the club’s search for a new skipper that essentially started by in April. Jim Riggleman was the Cincinnati Reds interim manager throughout most of the 2018 season. Would Bell keep Riggleman on his staff as the team’s bench coach?

Heading into last season, Bryan Price was entering his fourth season as manager of the Cincinnati Reds. A 3-15 start led to his firing and the promotion of Riggleman to interim manager. Over the remaining five-plus months of the season, Riggleman did a decent job of keeping the Reds afloat.

Cincinnati suffered a myriad of injuries to some of their key offensive players and struggled with their starting pitching all season long. However, through it all, Riggleman kept the clubhouse from completely falling apart.

Now that the Reds have announced that David Bell will be the new manager, someone like Jim Riggleman might be the perfect complement to the rookie skipper. Had the job fallen to Brad Ausmus, who had four seasons at the helm in Detroit, the Reds might not be in such need for an experienced bench coach.

Regardless of your feelings surrounding Riggleman, he’s got experience and a lot of it. Riggleman has been a manager for five different ballclubs over the course of 13 seasons. He’s also spent a considerable amount of time in the minor leagues as well. While he’s only produced a winning record during one of those years, his time around the game would be invaluable for a young manager.

Analytics has taken over the game of baseball and David Bell, having just been vice president of player personnel for the San Francisco Giants, will have some extensive knowledge of the subject. However, there’s still a lot to digest for managers in today’s game and having a seasoned hand like Riggleman would be advantageous to any organization.

Given the way Riggleman handled the difficult situation he was put in, plus his tenure with the team, it’s conceivable to see Riggleman back in the Reds’ dugout in the familiar role he occupied under Price. Riggleman is well liked by the players, front office, and ownership, so don’t be surprised at all if Riggleman is back with the club next year in some capacity.